Grip for cable railways



(No Model.)

H. OASEBOLT.

GRIP'FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

No. 348,380. x Patented Aug. 31, 1886.

N. PEIERS. Pnnmumu n nen Washingflm. u. a

NiTno STATES PATENT Fries.

HENRY CASEBOLT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GRIP FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,380, dated August31, 1886.

Application filed March 25, 1886.,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY CASEBOLT, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grips for CableRailways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of a grip embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview on the line 00 0c of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4. are details, to behereinafter described.

My invention relates to certain improvements in that class of gripswhich are adapted for cable railroads for the purpose of connecting anddisconnecting the car to which the grip is attached with a moving cable,said grip extending through a slot into a tunnel or tube in which thecable runs and grips or releases the cable to move or stop the car.

My invention consists in the peculiar arrangement, construction, andcombination of devices, which I will hereinafter fully describe, andspecifically point out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, Iwill now describe its construction and the manner in which I havecarried it out.

In the said drawings, A represents the outside strips or stationarybarsof the grip, formed, preferably, in one entire piece, and Brepresents a double segment secured by any suitable means to said barsand having the oppositely-arranged ratchet-teeth a b, as shown. If it bedesired,the notched segments B may be formed as an integral portion ofthe stationary bars,

although I prefer to make them separate and attach them to the plates inthe manner substantially as indicated.

Across the bars A, about midway of their length, extend the cross-barsO, for securing the grip to the car,which may be done in any suitablemanner-as, for instance, by means of plates 2, movably secured to theundersides of the floor-beams. The ends of the cross-bar are slotted andengage the plates so that the grip is readily slipped in place on thecar. After the slotted ends engage the plate suita- Serial No. 196,449.(No model.)

To the lower part of the bar A, I attach the M upper jaw or clamp, D, ofthe gripping device. This jaw may be constructed of one solid piece; butI prefer to construct it of a base or solid piece to which is fitted adie, E, havingagroove in it to fit over the upper part of the cable F,this die being secured in place in any suitable manner, as by a platebolted thereto,which insures the ready removal ofthe die in the event ofits becoming worn or injured.

Between the bars A is the sliding bar G, which is formed in one piece.The lower portion of the bar G is extended transversely to form arms H;or, if preferred, the said arms may be made separate and attached to thelower portion of the bar, these arms having mounted in their outer endsthe horizontal rollers d, over which the cable passes. The arms H arealso provided with short vertica'. pintles, upon which are looselymounted the flanged rollers I, which serve to diminish the friction ofthe cable when running loosely within thejaws and prevent it fromchafing against the grip-bars A.

To the transverse arms H, on the lower portion of the bar G, is securedthe lower jaw or die, J, it being located directly under the upper die,and constructed in a similar manner to said die, with a groove in it tofit the lower part of the cable, and forming with the upper die acomplete grip for the cable.

The devices for causing the dies to approach or recede from each otherand the means for holding these several features in their adjustedposition I will now describe. The bars A, as before stated, have boltedto their upper surface the notched segments B, between which is adjustably secured the standard or plates L, their adjustment beingaccomplished by means of, short pins 0, projecting from the plates L,and engaging a series of holes, f, extending partially through theplates L, whereby said plates may be adjusted vertically to bring any ofthe series of holes f in engagement with the pins e, and also toaccommodate itself to different lengths of chains.

Between the upper portions of the plates L is mounted a drum, g,which isprovided with grooved extended ends h, having a pin, bolt, orprojection, Z, with slotted head secured thereto. NVithin these headsare secured the upper ends of suitable independent short chains orcords,m m, two of which are located upon the sides of the plates. Thesechains engage the grooves in the ends h of the drum, and have theirlower ends pivotally secured to pins or bolts n, projecting from theupper portion of the bar G, or, if preferred, from a plate securedthereto. It will be observed the chains in an pass downward fromoppositesides of the drum 9, and are operated to raise or depress thelower jaw ofthe gripping deviceby alever, M, rigidly secured to the drum9, and between the segments B and standard L, as shown. This lever M isalso provided with oppositely placed pawls O, which are designed toengage the teeth of the ratchet when the lever M is forced either to theright or left. From the description of these parts it is manifest themovement of the lever Min either direction partially rotates the drumand causes the chains m or' m, which are attached to the pin Z,projecting from the vertical center of the roller, to be drawn upward,thereby moving the lower jaw upward to grip the cable. As the drumrotates the pin Z moves from its vertical position and permits theremaining or opposite chains to become slack. A reverse movement of thelever M, as when the car is traveling in an opposite direction, causesthe chains m m to, draw the bars and lower die upward, the chains m m,first mentioned, becoming in this instancethe slack chains. I am thusenabled tooperate the lower die in a positive manner, the devicesemployed being very simple in construction, are readily removed andreplaced by new ones, should any of the pieces become worn or damaged.

In the practical operation of the grip there are times when the cablehas to be dropped entirely, as when another cable-line has to be crossedor the car switched off onto another track or into the car-house.Therefore to provide for this I have constructed the following devices:A foot-lever, l pivoted tov the bars A, has attached to its inner end aconnecting-bar, Q,;W hich is designed tolie in the groove formed in thebar G, so that it will not impede the sliding movements of the same.This connecting-bar Q-has: secured to its lower end a transverse plateor bar, R, the outer ends, r, of which are forked or clutch shaped andpass under the flanged rollers I I, to raise the same. Now, whenthecable isto be dropped, the lower jaw is forced down, so.- as torelease said cable. To push the latter off completely, I press upon. thefoot-lever l which draws upon the rod Q. and causesthe forked orclutchrshaped end of the bar It to raise the rollers until their flangesengage the cable and force the sameoff the lower jaw, so that it candrop below the grip.

When the lever P is raised, the pulleys resume their original position,and will then be out of the way of the cable when it is returned to thegrip.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cable-grip, the stationary barA and the movable bar G, incombination with an operating-lever, M, the drum 9, and the independentchains or cords connecting the drum with the sliding bar, substantiallyas described.

2. In a cable-grip, the stationary barA and the movable bar G, eachbeing provided with dies, in combination with a standard or plates,

L, secured to the bar A, a drum, 9, mounted in the standard and havingextended grooved ends, an operating-lever, M, for rotating the drunnandthe'independent chains connecting the drum with the sliding bar, wherebythe latter is vertically moved, substantially as described.

3. The bar G, having a lower die, and the transverse bar having therollers d, in combination with the stationary bar A, having an upperdie, the oppositely-arranged ratched segments B, the plates or standardL, an operating-lever and drum mounted in said standard, and the doubleseries of independent chains or cords connecting the drum with thesliding bar, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the grippingjaws, of a means for operating thesame, comprising a lever, a drum operated by said lever, and the doubleseries of chains attached independently to the drum and movablegrippingjaw, whereby the latter is operated, substantially as herein setforth.

5. The combination, with a stationary bar having pin- 6, of a movablebar, the adjustable plates or standard L, having a series ofadjusting-holes, f, an operating-lever, M, a drum, 9, carried by saidlever and having the pins or bolts Z, and the double series of independent chains or cords attached to the bolts and sliding bar,substantially as and for the purpose described.

6.- An improved cablegrip, comprising the combination of stationary andmovable bars A and G, the oppositely-ratched segments, the adjustableplates or standard L, an operating-lever, M, a grooved drum carried bysaid lever and mounted in thestandard andthe independent chainsconnecting the drum with the. sliding bar and the oppositely-placedpawls, substantially as and forthe purpose I described.

7. The combination, with a stationary bar having a transverse bar, H, ofthe vertical flanged pulleys I I, a foot-lever, P, pivoted tothestationary bar, a connecting-rod, Q, anda bar, R, havingforked orclutch-shaped ends adapted to raise the pulleys, substantially as andfor thepurpose described.

ICC

S. The combination, with the movable plate, pins or bolts Z,havingslotted heads, the chains of the stationary bar A, and transversebars secured in the heads and to the bolts, and the O, secured to saidstationary bar and having lever M, substantially as described.

their ends slotted to engage the plates, sub- HENRY GASEBOLT. 5stantially as described. Vitnesses:

9. The movable gripping-bar G, having the HUGH MOGINNIS,

pin e, in combination with the drum g, the WV. WV. DOUGHERTY.

